Norway would have to change law to license thorium-fueled reactors

摘要

Norway would need to revise its existing nuclear law and enact other legislation in order to have proper oversight of commercial reactors using only thorium fuel, regulators said in a report to the government released October 6.rnThe Norwegian government opposes using conventional nuclear power. But in a government-ordered report delivered February 15, a committee said that Norway should not rule out building thorium-powered reactors, with fuel coming from Norway's large thorium deposits (NW, 28 Feb., 8).rnAs a result of the report, the government asked the Norwegian Radiation Protection Agency, or NRPA, to look into what regulations would be needed if Norway were to build thorium-fueled units.rnNRPA said that because thorium is not fissile material, thorium-powered reactors would not fall under the current Norwegian legal definition of a nuclear reactor. That would also mean that existing laws for applying for a license to operate reactors would not be valid.rnBut the agency said that if a unit were fueled with a combination of thorium and uranium, it would meet the existing definition of a nuclear reactor and be eligible for a license.